Doesn't it? I have to really be in the right mood to have it but when I feel it, there is something incredibly comforting about breakfast food at night. On the menu tonight was french toast with fresh bananas! I often start game-planning my dinner while at the gym (yes I know...what good does it do one to think about food while working out?) and it just hit me that I really, really, really wanted french toast. We had eggs, we had milk, we had syrup, and we had bread. Plus I knew I had one single banana left from the bunch that was on the verge of going bad, and bananas are my very favorite french toast topping.
French toast is one of my ultimate comfort foods. I like a good pancake every once in a while but I'm much more likely to go for the toast. It absolutely stems from eating many breakfasts with my mother, who I can confidently call a french toast connoisseur. This woman has eaten french toast at more restaurants than anyone I know. If I find a place that has it as a specialty (like 26 Beach Cafe in Venice - Cali peeps do yourself a favor if you like this dish, they have a ton of options!), I automatically want to take her there. We used to make french toast for the random Sunday breakfast or even for dinner, and I always liked being the bread dipper. It was almost always the same way, the way I made it tonight - a couple eggs mixed with milk (and cinnamon and vanilla if I have it), with plain wheat sandwich bread. You would probably expect me to have some sort of fancy bread in the house but no, I had a loaf of Trader Joe's Organic Soft Wheat Bread, which I actually highly recommend. For the first time I tried out the griddle side of my grill pan, instead of using a skillet, and it worked wonderfully. The bread didn't stick at all and it was very evenly browned. I like my french toast soft but with crispy edges. The most important tip I can give for successful french toast making is to not turn up the heat on the stove too high. If you do, the outside burns quickly but the actual eggy bread does not firm up. I personally don't want mine soggy in the middle.
No picture tonight due to my randomly injured knee (I biked for 10 extra minutes at the gym and when I got off of it, the back of my knee had swollen up...great) but my french toast was golden brown and I topped it with slices of banana and maple syrup. Not the healthiest meal but I sure feel better now!
P.S. - A Dinner Blog shout-out to my dear friend Brynne, who left me the sweetest message today, saying that my wrap blog had inspired her to make her own! She wanted to recreate her favorite wrap from her days at the University of Delaware. I hope it turned out well and it is an honor to know I am inspiring you to cook!
Nice to hear you've been inspired by my love for good french toast. When making it at home, I actually do recommend using a good loaf of bread - the french baguettes I buy at an excellent local bakery really work well. When I buy a loaf, I slice it in thirds before freezing it, then take out a portion when I want to use it for french toast - more often for dinner than breakfast. I also like to use a fruit flavored syrup.
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